Rail bond



Sept. 27,1 c, LAVARACK ET AL RAIL BOND Filed Jan. 15, 1923 ATTORN y I lyzszvroki 4 Patented Sept. 2?, 1927.

Uhli'lED STATES FATENT oFF cE.

FREDERICK G. LAVARACK, OF MON'ICLAIR, NEW JERSEY, AND WILLIAM M. PAGE,OF

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL BOND.

Application filed January 15, 1923. Serial No. 612,619.v

vice connected across the rails at one end of the section and a batteryor other source of a' difference of potential'connected across the railsat the other end. The abutting ends of the usual thirty foot rail lengthwithin the section areconnected as usual with fish plates which usuallyfurnish a metallic path from one rail length to the adjoining raillength even if the ends of the rails are not in actual contactfi It hasbeen found, however, that the metallic path for the flow of electricity,from one rail to an adjoining rail is not of sufficiently low resistancewhen entire dependence for a metallic pathbetween rails is placed uponthe.

usual mechanical connection between rails, consequently all installationof track circnits also include a special connector'or rail bond betweenthe adjacent rail ends within the section. for supplying a proper lowre-' sistance path forthe flow of electricity from rail and to rail end.4

lleretofore the connectors or rail bonds have been of many types, someelectrically or gas welded to the respective rail ends, some connectedby channel pins and some by what are known as plugs. v

Applicants invention relatesto the plug type of rail connector or bond.The principal object of applicants invention is the production of a plugbond in which the electrical connection between plugs will be obtainedby the same means by which the mechanical connection is obtained.

A further object of applicants invention is the production of aconnection between the plugs and connecting wire in a plug type of bondwhich will effectively eliminate corrosion at this point.

A further object of applicants invention. is the production of a jointbetween the.

plugs and connecting wires in a plug type of bond which will be of anature especially adapted to that type of plug bond in which aplurahtyof wires extend between the plugs.

. chanical strength.

A further object of applicants invention is the production of a bond ofthe type speciiied in which the electrical union between the plugs andthe wires proper will be so exceptionally intimate and so formed as tobe of relatively high conductivity.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of thepreferred-physical embodiment and modification thereof, selected toillustrate the invention, progresses and the novel features of theinvention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular preferredphysical embodiment and desirable modifications thereof selectedtoillustrate the invention reference will be had'to theaccompanyingdrawing illustrating a preferred physical embodimentof theinvention and desirable modifications thereof, and in which: i I

' Figure '1 illustrates the abutting ends of two rails connected byapplicants improved bond; Fig.2, illustrates themanner of be': ginningthe construction of the joint be tween the plug proper and the wiresproper; Fig. 3, illustrates further progress in con structingthe jointshown by Fig. 2; Fig. 4,; shows the completed joint as shown started inFig. 2; Fig. 5, isan enlarged cross-see tional view ofFig. 4; Fig. 6,illustrates one completed bond; Fig. 7, illustratesithe coinpleted formof the joint between the plug and wires'when three wires are usedbetween plugs; Fig. 8, shows the plug and adjacent wire portion of adifferent type of three wire bond; Fig. 9, is a cross sectional View onthe plane indicated by the. line IX-'IX of Fig. 8. V

In Fig. 1 are shown mile 1 and 2 held together mechanically by theusualfish plate 3 and bolts.4.-

Applicants" improved bond in Fig. 1, is designated as a whole by B andconsists generally of one or a plurality of connecting wires 5 attachedat each end to a. plug 6 side of the plug 6.

which is driven into a cavity formed in the web 7 of the rails. g V 7 Byreference to Fig.2 it will be seen that plug 6 is formed with a bore 8,through which extend the wires 5.

In order to form our type of oint betw wires 5 and plug 6 we also threadthro bore 8 the wrapping wire 9 sothat aconsid erable portion thereofextends beyond each I The wire 9 is wrapped closely about the wires 5and close to the sides of plug 6, as shown in 3, and when the wrappingis complete the joint appears as shown in Fig. l. 1

After the joint is completely wrapped as shown by. 4;, it is suitablytreated in cordance with well known art and dipped in molten metal oralloy preferably tin, When the joint cools all parts are firmly ceinented together by tin 10 as appears in Fig:

o. This tin will firmly fasten the wires 5 togather and to the plugtland unite wrapping wire 9 with the rest of the structure and inparticular wnpping wire 9 will be firmly united to wires 5 and plug 6 atthe sides oil plug 6, that is at the POlXlt 11. i

Fig. Gillustratesone end and an interme-L diate portion of the completedbond and shows the 'intern'iediate tie wires 12 which are wrapped aboutthe wires 5 and serve to keep them together. g

Fig; 7 illustrates a completed joint cinploying three wires 5. i

Fig. 8 illustrates a Completed joint employing three wires 5 and thesewires are not insertedin plug 6 in what may be called a single bore,but-as sl own by Fig. 9, three bores 13, i l and 15 are termed, whichare ,merged one into the other, by a central bore 16. Each of the largerbores receives one strand of wire 5 while the'c entral bore receiveswrapping wire 9.:

The wrapping ire 9 shown in the several joints firmly mechanicallytieswires 5 to the plug 8 and so supports w1res5 that the ill evitablevibration of the wires does not cause them to break just nside oi thehead oi the plug 6. This supporting action is augmented b" the tinningwhich being relatively soft really atlords' asort of resilientconnection between plug 6 and wires 5 so that the inevitable vibrationof wires 5 are damped and absorbed by the interposed tin, sothat dhe tothe wrapping wire 9 and the tin 10 no delinite plane of vibration existsin wires 5 adjacent the head of plug 6.

The tin also serves the further function of appropriately electricallyconnecting wires 5 and plug 6 and the further important function ofcompletely excluding moisture from the joint thereby preventingcorrosion and withresultant increased resistance and me chanicalweakening.

Althoughwe have described a preferred physical embodiment of ourinvention and desirable modifications thereof, nevertheless we desire tohave it understood that the forms selected are merely illustrativeand-do not exhaust all of the possible physical sin-- bodiments of theidea of means underlying ourinvention. r i

What we claim as new by Letters Patent of the United States is:

r 1. The method of forming theconnectiou oetween a plug and the wiresproperin a plug type rail bond which consists in formend desireto'secure ing an orifice in the head oi the plug at :1 7

right angleto the longitudinal axisot the plug, positioning the wiresproper, in the.

orifice so that a relatively slight portion thereof protrudes, thenpassing a relatively short length or wrapping wire through the orificeso that either end protrudes beyond the sides of the plug, then. wraliping the protruding ends or the wrapping wire tightly about thefirst mentioned wires and against the sides of the. plug then cleaningand i 13% ing all parts adjacent to plug and then dippiiig the joints somade into a molten metal of relatively low inel'tingp'oint. V a

y 2;. in a rail bo'iitl i.i1 combination two plugs each iormed with anorifice therein ah.

till

right angles to the longitudinal tlI'lQS'thG-JT)" of; a plurality ofwires extending from one plug to the other plug and having theirends lextending into and through the orifices in the plugs; wrapping wires,one positioned in each orifice and having beyond the sides of the Vtightly around the wires and tightly against the sides oi the phigs; arelatively low'ine' ingpoint inetal filling all of the interstic sbetween the several wires and the plugs and means intermediate the plugsfor keeping the first mentioned wires closely together.

FREDERICK Grimmer. WILLIAM MJPAGE. 1

its ends extending v plug and wrapped

